Nenuial
Nenuial was a tranquil lake in central Arthedain, known for brilliant optical effects accompanying sunsets on clear days. The lake was sacred to most Dúnedain , and several of Arthedain's noble houses had built their manors on its shores. Nenuial is situated on the edge of a great break in the Arthadan hill country. Emeth Gelin, to the east of the break, boasted rolling chalk hills, covered with sinblas grass and supporting trees only along watercourses. Westward, the Emyn Uial rose hundreds of feet above an esscarpment, its limestone caps anchored by granite. The granite underpinnings were particularly evident along the shores of Nenuial and the west bank of lake's tributary, the River Fornthor. The Fornthor ran along the Felemgil (S. "Crests of the Stars"; W. Star-crest) all the way from the Rammas Formen southward to the lake, providing most of its water. Nenuial itself was sixty miles long below the face of the great scarp, and twenty miles wide from that vaulting shoreline to the relatively shallow King's Bay, on the east. Here the Baranduin left Nenuial through a passage of reeds and cat-tails under the walls of ruined Annuminas. Near the western shore, the lake plunged to depths of almost a thousand feet Most of its eastern bays were much shallower; their vast reed-beds held the larger share of the lake's life. Abundant trout, pike, salmon, and roughfish provided a steady living for the fishermen of dozens of small villages along the lake shore. Gulls and waterfowl flocked here in large numbers. During the spring and autumn migrations, Nenuial served as a collection point for the birds who summered on the Forodwaith, and during these few weeks of the year ducks, geese, plovers, and cranes swarmed the lake in flocks large and dense enough to shade the sun. History The beauty of Nenuial had awed travelers for thousands of years. Ents and wandering Elves had first paused on its shores at the dawn of time. Laiquendi scouts from Ossiriand had camped by its waters early in the First Age. Then, as later, the less rugged eastern shore of the lake was favored for settlement by hunters, small farmers, and fishermen; their view of the new-born sun setting over the blue waters and rugged hills of the western shore gave the lake its name: Nen-Uial, or "Lake Twilight." The Edain who arrived in the area a century or so later translated the Elvish term, and, with time, it became "Lake Evendim," the Westron name. Only a lack of practical harbors had kept the lake-villages small. Bareketta, the seat of House Eketta on the northeastern arm of the lake, and Annuminas before its ruin in T.A. 1409 both maintained large artificial breakwaters, but these suffered constant siege from autumnal gales. Lake shipping was invariably done in smaller vessels. A well-manned lake boat could sail from one end of Nenuial to the other in the course of a day. However, if the day was ill chosen, thunderstorms flying down off the Emyn Uial whipped up waves as high as a tall man in a few minutes, overthrowing the most seasoned lake-sailor and taking all to the bottom. This peril was greatest in the fall and winter. In the coldest seasons, ice formed in the northern end of the lake, but a greater risk was posed by snowsqualls, which could blind sailors and founder ships under a sheath of frozen spray.The sack of Annúminas left the region around Nenuial' depopulated for over a century, with most local farmers having fled to the safety of Fornost Erain. Even with the best efforts of King Argeleb, the region around the lake remained largely deserted. The country around the great northern lake remained dangerous for generations after the fall of Arthedain, but eventually the prospect of rich harvests of fish and waterfowl brought explorers here from the Shire.In the later Third Age, the most regular contact between the Rangers of the North and the Shire Hobbits were the seasonal expeditions to the shores of Lake Evendim. In the spring and fall,they brought back caravans of carts loaded with salted and smoked meats, pickled eggs and crawdads, furs, feathers, and goosedown.The Rangers provided an intimidating presence in the lake camps , and the Hobbits performed the larger share of the labor.This equitable arrangement was only occasionally interrupted by bandits and haunts . Haunts In spite of its long history of peaceful settlement. Lake Evendim had no less than four notable "haunts." All of them were attractive to the curious and adventuresome. *The Mist-borne Fleet *The Twilight Dragon *The weed-kraken *Linuile Regions About T.A. 1640: Eketya Fief Esgarnen King's Bay Noirinyar Fief Oromenyar Fief Royal Fold Tarmear Fief About T.A. 3018: Barandalf Men Erain Nan Orngon Northern Emyn Uial Parth Aduial Rushingdale Southern Emyn Uial The Sand-mounds Swiftbrook Tinnudir Isle Tûm Fuin Twisted Grove Tyl Annûn Tyl Ruinen Tyrn Fornech Places of Note About T.A. 1640: Annúminas Bar Baranorn Bareketta Bodroth Cloudbreak Watch Heleb High King's Crossing Ladyford Lakehead Wenyabar About T.A. 3018: Amon Môth Arthobel Barad Rath Barad Tharsír Canadiach Cirith Rhîw Dol Haedír Duskencleft Eave-mere Even-rills Eavespires Echad Garthadir Glass-blowers' Camp Gloaming Falls Gorthost Gwindethrond Haudh Arantar Haudh Eärendur Haudh Eldacar Haudh Elendil Haudh Elendur Haudh Tarcil Haudh Tarondor Haudh Valandur High King's Crossing House Brumbar Lithost Ost Forod Ost Heryn Rantost Tham Andalath Tham Habad Tham Laegamon Tham Nambarth Tham Ornen Tham Sarch Tham Varan Tinnudir Keep Tollobel Whitshards References *MERP:Arnor *LOTRO:Evendim Category:Redirect